There’s about two weeks left until the Republican National Convention begins in St. Paul, Minnesota, and one of the key events in the run up to the convention will be John McCain’s announcement of his Vice Presidential candidate. McCain is expected to announce his selection on August 29th, at a major campaign even being held in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Democractic rival Barack Obama is expected to announce his Vice Presidential candidate before McCain does via text message to his supporters. Some expect that Obama will announce his Vice Presidential candidate as early as this week.

The Favorites:

The following information is based on share values on the popular internet predictions market Intrade.com which has a strong record of providing accurate predictions, often more accurate than conventional polling.

Republicans:

Mitt Romney: John McCain’s former presidential rival, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the current favorite to be selected as McCain’s VP. Mitt Romney’s shares are currently trading at $30.00

Tim Pawlenty: Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is a close second, with his shares climbing in recent days to also be traded at $30.00

Tom Ridge: The former head of Homeland Security, and former governor of Pennsylvania has seen his stock fall recently, and is currently being traded at around $15.00

Democrats:

Joe Biden: The oft politically incorrect senator from New Hampshire is the clear cut favorite to become Obama’s VP. His shares are currently trading at $35.30

Evan Bayh: Indiana senator Evan Bayh is trailing Joe Biden by a significant margin, but comes in second with his shares trading at $22

Tim Kaine: Time Kaine, the democratic governor of Virginia comes in third at $15.00

Wesley Clark: Retired General Wesley Clark’s shares have seen a sharp rise today, propelling him into fourth place at $14.00